Actuator for accumulators in calculating machines



July 18, 1950 THOMAS 2,516,032

ACTUATOR FOR ACCUMULATORS IN CALCULATING MACHINES Filed Oct. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 m VEIIL UI ARTHUR THOMAS Attorney A. THOMAS July 18, 1950 ACTUATOR FOR ACCUMULATORS IN CALCULATING MACHINES Filed Oct. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Alto/wag July 18, 1950 THOMAS 2,516,032

ACTUATOR FOR ACCUMULATORS IN CALCULATING MACHINES Filed Oct. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fill/enter ARTHUR THOMAS by JJLLJLLL Attorney Patented July 18, 1950 ACTUATOR Fort ACCUMULATORS m j CALQULATING MACHINES Arthur Thomas,- Wallington, England, assignor to Powers-Sama's Accounting: Machines Limited, London, England, a British company Application October 2, 1946, Serial No. 700,711

'InGreat Britain October 8, 1 945 This invention relates high speeds under the control of statistical records.

to. accumulator mechanisms for calculating machines andhas for its main object to provide a construction of accumu lator mechanism which will operate at relatively .According to the present invention, accumulator mechanism for calculating machines may comprise in combination a plurality of denominational accumulator wheels, a normallyineiiectiveactuator device to each wheel, each of; said actuator devices being movable at each machine;

cycle, through a constant distance up toa datum position, and means for disposing a ,tripmember in the path of each 1 actuator in a position, in advance-of the datum position by an amount representing thedigit to be entered intothe accumue lator, said trip member, on engaging the actua-U tor, serving. to render said actuator effective to] turn the wheel during the remainder of the travel of the actuator. I

Each actuator device may, comprise'apawl for v actuating the wheel and a latch normally, holding the pawl disengaged from the wheel, eachpawl being moved through a path intofwhich any one of acolumn oi movable stops may be projected from its normal retracted position, to en e andactuate the latch to release the pawl which thereupon engages the wheel and turns it throughout,

the remainder of the movement of theactuator.

The stops may be projected laterally into-the path of a latch.

Any movable stop of a column may retracted position and movable to its latch actue.

ating position by a stop-operating member actu ated by the mechanism serving to. analyse conbe carried on an independent pivoted arm spring urged-:to,

trolling statistical record cards, saidarm and stop-operating member being adapted to inter.-.,;;

position.

restore an actuated stop-operating member to inactive position. Means may also be provided to restore an unlatched pawl to its normal latch position. i

A stop located adjacent the datum pos ion may engage a pawl which is actuating an'accumulator wheel to prevent over-running of the accumulator scribed, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which? f I, Figure 1 is aside elevation, partly in section ,the main shaft 22 of the machine.

engage to retain the stop in the latch actuating .40

Restoring means may beprovided'to 7 Claims. (01. 23 5-'61.6)

ofaccumulator mechanism controlled by mechanism'for analysing statistical record cards,

Figure 2 is a'view ofa part Of Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged scale and having some parts omitted for the sake of clarity, and shows the actuating pawl during a part of an idle'movement thereof,

Figure 3 is a sectional view in the direction of 3' 3'of Figure 2, showing the method of operation of one of the trip members, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 with some of the parts shown in different operative positions.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown applied to a card-controlled statistical machine in which amounts sensed from punched cardsare transferred to accumulator mechanism.

The machine has a main frame I5on which is supported a card magazine Hi from which cards are fed in succession and in known manner to sensing mechanism similar to that described in British Patent Specification No. 401,012. This mechanism'includes a moving pin box I1 operated'byan eccentric IB'and connecting rod I9. The eccentric is driven by gears 20 and 2! from Movements of sensing pins'23 are transmitted to pins 24 and such'movements are, in turn, transmitted to pins 25 through the medium of Bowden cables 26 in known manner. A cam 21 on a shaft is arranged through the medium of a roller 29 carried by an arm 3!) secured to a rock shaft 3| to operate-a shutter 32 to restore the pins 24to their normal position as shown in Figure 1. Movements of the rock shaft 3i are transmitted to the shutter 32 by an arm 33 also secured to the shaft andqa, pin 34 which engages the shutter.

The shaft 28 is driven by achain drive 35 from the, main shaft 22.

The accumulator mechanism to be operated by the card controlled mechanism briefly described above is mounted on a frame 36.and consists of a numberof units of which there is one for each column. For example, seven columns may be provided including four for pounds, one for tens of shillings, one for units of shillings, and one for pence. An accumulator unit will be provided for each, of these columns but as. the accumulator units are-of similar construction the operation and-construction of only one such unit is described and illustrated herein. The transfer mechanism between adjacent accumulator wheels is preferably of the creep carry type and is indicated generally at 3 1 in Figure 1. This mechanism may be of any suitable known construction such tor example as that described in British Pat- 3 ent Specification No. 560,021 and the ultimate result is shown on readable result wheels indicated at 38, Figure l.

The accumulator unit shown in the drawings comprises a denominational accumulator wheel 39 having a multiple of ten teeth, a convenient number of teeth being sixty, since this is a multiple of both ten and twelve so that the wheel can be used, as mentioned above, for pence and it: can also be used for decimal numbers.

The wheel 39 of each accumulator unit is freelymounted on a fixed shaft 40 carried in brackets 4|, a separate shaft 40 being provided for each;

of the Wheels 39. Pivoted on brackets at opposite ends of the column of wheels 39, are arms 42 to which is secured an oscillatable member consisting of a bar 43. An arm 44mounted on the bar 43 for movement therewith carries an actuator device consisting of a pawl 45 pivoted at 46 for co-operation with the teeth of the wheel 39. This pawl 45 is held clear of the teeth in its normal retracted position by a latch 41 pivoted at 48 to the arm 44. Thus, when the pawl is retained in its latched position it is moved idly past the teeth on the wheel 39 when the bar 43 is oscillated about the shaft 40. The bar 43 carries the actuator device for the accumulator; unit of each column.

Oscillating movement of the bar 43 is effected by the driving mechanism described in British patent application No. 24,201/46, now Patent No. 615,844. This mechanism briefly consists of a lever 49 pivotally mounted on the shaft 49 and connected with one of the arms 42. The lever 49 has a slot 50 in which a block is arranged to slide, the block being supported on a pin 52 carried by a rocking arm 53 pivoted at 54. The rocking arm is rocked about its pivot by a connecting rod 55 driven by a pin 56 projecting from a slidable element 51 mounted for movement radially of a crank disc 59 secured to the shaft 59 for rotation therewith. The shaft 59 is geared.

to the shaft 26. The further operation of; this driving mechanism will not be, described herein, as it forms no part of the present invention and is fully described in British patent application No. 24,201/46, now Patent No. 615,844, However, in order that reference may easily be made to the said application No. 24,201 /46, now Patent No. 615,844, it is pointed out that the parts 29, 53,

55, 56, 51, 58, and 59 described herein c0rrespond. respectively to the parts I6, 35, 34, 33, 2|, I6 and.

[3 described in patent application No. 24,201/46, now Patent No. 615,844.

Mounted on a bracket 60 is a column of indeendent arms 6| each of which carries a trip member consisting of a stop 62. The arms H are free1y mounted on a spindle 63, see Figure 3, and springs 64 urge the arms to the retracted pin position. The stops 62 are disposed at diflerent levels and each stop projects into one of aseriesof holes 65 formed in the bracket 60am! arranged inan arcuate path concentric with .the fixed shaft- Below the spindle 63a number of stop operating members 66, one for each arm 6|, are arranged to slide between guides formed by the bracket 66 and a slotted plate 61 secured thereto. On operation by its associated Bowden cable 26 a stop operating member 68 is movedupwardly and the upper inclined surface of a pointed nose 58 formed on the member causes the co-operatingarnrBl to turn about the spindle 63, against the action of the spring 64, and cause thestop carried-by the arm to project through-its-hole 95 into the path of the latch 41. The arm 6| is retained in this operative position by the interengagement of the pointed end of the nose 69 with a notch 69 in the lower end of the arm 6|.

The stops 62 are disposed so that in moving towards the datum position the tail 10 of the latch 41 passes the holes 65 in descending order H, [0, 9 2, I as indicated in Figure 2. Accordingly, if, for example, the No. 4 stop has been projected into the path of the latch the travel of the arm 44 and pawl 45 will be idle until the No. 4 stop is reached at which point the surface 1| of the latch 41 will engage the No. 4 stop and the latch will turn about its pivot l 48-, against the action of the spring 12, and will ment ofthe pawl 45 towards the datum-positionwillcause the wheel 39 to be turned fourteeth, equivalent to the movement of the pawl from the position corresponding to the No. 4 stop up to the datum position, see Figure 4.

If during operation of the machine none of the stops 62 of a columnis operated then the'latch 41 will engage a fixed, permanent stop 6211 projecting from the bracket and the pawl 45 drops into a tooth of the wheel 39 but does not turn it. The fixed stop 52a is located at the zero position relatively to the holes 65.

At the relatively high speed at which the accumulator is intended to-operate there is a tendencyfor the wheel 39 to run on after the pawl has reached the datum position. To preventthis over running a pawl abutment and wedgingstop 14 is located adjacent the datum position and this stop locks the pawl into the'wheelat' this position so i that'the wheel is prevented from running on under its owninertia.

A detentpawl-15-pivoted at 16' to a bracket 11 is urged by a spring 18 intoengagement with the-teeth ofthe wheel 39-to prevent the wheel The bracket 11 is clockwise about its pivot 46 against the action of the spring-12 to return the pawl into the normal latched position as shown in Figure 2.

The operated-No. 4 arm is restored to its normal positionbya restoring bar 81 supportedon parallel arms and 93- pivoted'at'84 and 85 A restoring. plate 86-flxed to a rock shaft 91. engages the endof the restoring. bar and; the. rock shaft. is. rocked by a. camrespectively.

lever 98;.havingv a cam, roller BSwhich engages a camjuon the shaft;5,9-; On its restoring action; the bar 8l moves downwards against the action,

of spring .9l.,and engages a tail 92 on. the stop operating member 66-thus moving the nose 68; ou t. of engagement with the notch (5.9 in the arm- 6l. When so released the arm 6| is moved. to.

retracted positionby, the spring 64.

In a modified'construction, the pawl and latch,

insteadofmoving in a vertical plane parallel with the plane in whichv the open ends of the,

holes are located" may be arranged to move above a column of'verti'cally disposed stops. The

latch. Thus when the latch engages an operated stop it is tripped and the pawl engages a tooth of the accumulator wheel so that the wheel is turned during the'remainder of the forward movement of the pawl.

Constructions according to the invention have the advantage that the amount of movement of the trip members is the same whatever the value of the digitto be registered, Further the operation of the Wheels by a reciprocating or oscillating member permits the employment of an overrun preventing device ensuring accuracy of operation. The reciprocating action also permits the use of a relatively large accumulator wheel having several multiples of ten or twelve teeth, while the movement of the reciprocating or oscillating member is limited only to the length of one set of such teeth.

In addition, by employing the reciprocating or oscillating operating mechanism, said mechanism can be disposed on one side of the accumulator wheel thereby leaving the other side of the wheel free for connecting other mechanism if so desired.

If desired, the mechanism can be controlled from a moving card electrically sensed, a timed impulse being emitted when a hole is sensed and serving to energise a magnet which would operate all the stops at once. The leading edge of the card would come under the sensing brush at the moment when the pawl operating arm was at the beginning of its stroke and the operation of the stops would occur at a point in the movement of the pawl corresponding to the teeth sensed, so that the stop which happened to be in register with the latch would release the pawl to operate the wheel.

What I claim is:

1. Accumulator mechanism for calculating machines comprising in combination, an accumulator wheel, a normally ineffective pawl for said wheel, a latch normally holding the pawl disengaged from the wheel, means to move said pawl and latch at each machine cycle through a constant distance up to a datum position and return, a row of movable stops for said pawl and latch, each of said stops being movable into the path of said latch at a position in advance of the datum position by an amount representing the digit to be entered into the accumulator, means for moving a stop into the path of the latch, said stop, on engaging the latch, serving to render said pawl effective to turn the accumulator wheel during the remainder of the travel of the pawl, a pin on the pawl, and a fixed restoring member for engagement by said pin upon return movement to restore the pawl to its normal latch held position.

2. Accumulator mechanism for calculating machines comprising in combination, an accumulator wheel, a normally ineffective pawl for said wheel, a latch normally holding the pawl disengaged from the wheel, means to move said pawl and latch at each machine cycle through a constant distance up to a datum position, a row of movable stops for said pawl and latch, each of said stops being movable laterally into the path of said latch at a position in advance of the datum, position by an amount representing the digit to be entered into the accumulator, a pivoted arm for each stop, a spring to urge each arm to inactive position, a stop operating member associated .with each arm, meansto select and actuate each stop operating member, a notch in said arm, a nose on said stop operating member to engage said notch and hold the arm in actuated position, said stop, on engaging the latch serving to render said pawl effective to turn the accumulator wheel during the remainder of the travel of the pawl, a fixed stop included in said row of movable stops for engaging the latch to render. the pawl effective to engage said accumulator wheel at the datum position when said movable stops are ineffective and an abutment stop engageable by said efiective pawl at its point of engagement with said wheel.

3. Accumulator mechanism for calculating machines comprising in combination, an accumulator wheel, a normally inefiective pawl for said wheel, a latch normally holding the pawl disengaged from the wheel, means to move said pawl and latch at each machine cycle through a constant distance up to a datum position, a row of movable stops for each pawl and latch, each of said stops being movable laterally into the path of said latch at a position in advance of the datum position by an amount representing the digit to be entered into the accumulator, a pivoted arm for each stop, a spring to urge each arm to inactive position, a stop operating member associated with each arm, means to select and actuate a stop operating member, a notch in said arm, a nose on said stop operating member to engage said notch and hold the arm in actuated position, said stop, on engaging the latch serving to render said pawl effective to turn the accumulator wheel during the remainder of the travel of the pawl, and restoring means to restore an actuated stop operating member to inactive position.

4. Accumulator mechanism for calculating machines comprising in combination an accumulator wheel, an oscillatory actuator arm, coacting spring urged latch and pawl members pivoted to said arm, a block on the pawl for trigger release by the latch, a row of laterally movable stops, means for selectively projecting a stop into the path of the latch to trip said pawl for engagement with said wheel to move it to a datum position when the arm is moving in one direction, a fixed stop for tripping the latch when a movable stop is not projected, an abutment stop at the datum position with which the pawl contacts to arrest movement of the pawl and wheel precisely at the datum position, a pin on the pawl and a restoring stop for engagement by said pin when the arm moves in the opposite direction to restore said pawl to trigger held position by the latch.

5. In an accumulator actuating device the combination of an accumulator wheel, an actuator for said wheel including a pawl and a latch for normally holding said pawl out of engagement with said wheel, a spring to move said pawl into engagement with said wheel, means to advance and restore said actuator a constant distance during each machine cycle, and a series of stops arranged along the path of advance of said actuator and selectively settable prior to the advance of said actuator to trip said latch during said advance.

6. In an accumulator operating device the combination of an accumulator wheel, an actuator for said wheel including a pawl and a latch for asi-aos'z normally holdingsaidpawl away from saidwheel,

means to advance said actuator from a normal position up to'a datum position and to restore said actuator to normal position on each machine cycle, a stop for tripping said latch as the latter is advanced located along'the path of travel of said actuator and removed from said'datum position a distance representative of the amount to be entered into the accumulator, and means to means to advance said actuator from a normal position up to a datum position and to restore said actuator to normal position during each machine cycle, a series'ofstops fortrlpping said latch as the latter is advanced located along the path of advance of said actuator and'each spaced from said datum position a distance representa tive of the amount to be'entered intothe accumulator under control thereof, and means for selectively moving said stops into the path of said latch.

ARTHUR THOMAS;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED- STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,059,277 Rand'et a1 Nov. 3, 1936 2,297,383 Beria Sept. 29, 1942' 

